To be a Hero Under The Hot Sun
by JazzChicken
Summary: Jaune would do anything to be a hero, he just didn't think he'd be doing it in a hellish wasteland. But awakening tied up and facing an 18K run of bad luck he'll have to do everything under the sun to come out alive.


Jaune lived a simple life he felt. It was all just a list of checkpoints sometimes. Finish primary school, turn 17, finish Beacon, and then become a badass Hunter,four easy steps to becoming a hero. Too easy right? He had already got (numerically at least) half way there. The Grimm of the whole thing he was finding was the details.

Forging his way in had been a detail, just like learning how to survive initiation had been a detail, oh and the tiny little detail that he had no idea what he was doing but so far these tiny details didn't weight too heavy on his miserable and sleepy mind.

The little detail that was screwing his life up is that he was a coward. He couldn't stand up to Cardin's bullying sense day one and as he lay in his dorms bed he agonized at how easy it had been to convince himself that he wasn't weak by letting himself be pushed around at every turn. Hell if he hadn't rolled over so much maybe Cardin wouldn't have felt so at ease blackmailing him tonight. But no he just stood there and took it like that.

Thinking about it he wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for his moment of weakness in front of his partner Pyrrha. Rolling over in his bed he looked over at his beautiful partner. He just had to cry his life story and his crimes to the first person to listen. And then blunder of all blunders he turned down the years best fighter's offer of help teach him becuase again he wanted to have a cry fest and not swallow his pride.

Why, why had he been so stupid? Like come on at what point could he have pride in anything he had done. He was supposed to be a leader of his team but he didn't even have the courage to look them in the eyes tonight. He couldn't even take care of himself. How was he going to do right by his team? How could he be a hero, he thought before sleep finally took him from his reality.

Across town Cinder slinked out of her cloths, taking the final sip of her wine. She was met with silk sheets as he body met the bed in her modern apartment. She was no stranger to pain and hardship, the tutelage of Salem breaking many, but when you where the best you should get the best she thought with a grin. And she really was the best. Some thought her arrogant but she knew them to be wrong. Terrorist leaders her pawns, Maidens her pray, criminals masterminds her puppets. Beacon, the cornerstone of Remnant, was his already hers, they just didn't know it yet.

She could break any enemy, her skill with blades and bows had killed many and now she could melt a man to dust with a thought. She had infiltrated the most secure places on this planet In fact she had just lazily programed a program to break thought the security of both Beacon and Atlas today for the upcoming assault on beacon. To top it all off she had planned all this. Not Salem, and especially not that hack Watts; it was her. With Salem she was playing war on the grandest scale. Plus, she thought looking down at her nude form, hot as hell. And all that at the age of 23.

She cared for nothing and loved no one, expect for herself and she loved that. All her life she wanted the best and that's what she was. And as she fell into sleep she knew she was the villain of this story and that just tickled her pink.

For Jaune it was the cold that awoke him. The pain in his skull was felt next. Opening his eyes he found himself still in his pajamas but propped up on his knees on a sandy ground. Trying to get up he found his legs and hands bound. Urgently he fought with his restraints for a moment but feeling no give he finally looked at his surroundings.

It was still night but he now found himself in a desert which raised some questions the more pressing issue was the four men I front of him, three dress as punk bikers and the fourth in a tacky suit.

"He's awake." One of the bikers realized in suspire. In response to the bikers comment Jaune found all eyes on him.

"Should have hit him harder." Suits replied nonchalantly. At that Juane had an explanation for the pain in his head and he even started to feel some blood run from what most have been a cut. Trying to channel some Aura he felt nothing, not a lack of Aura, but nothing. As if being tied up in Vaco with four guys wasn't terrifying enough he thought.

"So's she." A biker digging an ominous whole added. Turning Jaune saw a totally naked female with without a mirror he could only assume was a matching head wound. She spoke to how utterly bleak this situation was.

"I though you Khans could at least through a punch." Checkered Suit said a bit annoyed.

"Would you just get this over with" a dark skinned Khan growl.

"Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face, but I aint a fink. Dig?" checker suit answered walking closer. Pulling out a poker chip Checkered Suit looked at him. "Last delivery, kid." Turning to the woman beside him he put away his poker chip and replaced it with a gold plated handgun "Sorry you got twisted up in this scene."

When the very gaudy pistol came put out Jaune gave up all hope of getting out of this alive. "From where you're kneeling this most seem like a 18K run of bad luck." The man continued a smarmy grin on his face. "Truth is, the game was rigged from the start." He finished aiming the gun at the woman. Jaune knew it was all over.

Then he saw it. That one detail in difference between him and the woman (except for clothing obviously) was her legs. They weren't bound. An idea came to him. Briefly he recoiled but the thoughts of his cowardice came to mind. An all-encompassing voice screamed in his mind. _Be a hero god damnit! For once in your life have some balls._

Pure hatred flowed through Cinder. A second ago she was top of the world, now she was bound, naked, and somehow without semblance, maiden powers, or Aura and about to be shot dead. Her muscles where coiled and ready for any chance to run or kill. She couldn't die here; she was Cinder Fall for Gods sake!

The crack of the bullet was heard cross the desert. The noises of the wildlife went still for a second, only the wind left to be heard.

"FUCK!" the checkered man screamed; just as surprised as everyone else that Jaune had been shot.

He had leapt in the way of the shot; the bullet hitting him in the head, his body laying on the ground, unmoving. And like a bolt of lightning Cinder was off, the surprise of the unintentional killing giving her time to make it to a near-by fence marking the edge of the graveyard she found herself in before Checkered suit started firing at her.

Jumping over the fence she wasn't prepared for the lack of ground and instead found herself landing awkwardly on the edge of a steep hill that had been hidden by the darkness. Trying to right herself an explosion of pain and blood from her right hand caused her to fall over and disappear into the night.

The Khans moved towards the fence but the checkered man stopped them. "She's as good as dead in the desert. We need to get to Vegas, fast. Ya dig?" he said before turning away to begin his long trek home

**So back to writing after a long break, really hoping for feedback on where you would like to see this story go and what your thoughts are throughout it. Also if you enjoyed my other story Dust and Blood I'm hoping to clean it up a bit and finish it but i really want hear what you liked or disliked about it.**


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